Watch for the top of the November 2024 Taurid Meteor shower tonight

Surabaya –

Every month, there are always interesting astronomical phenomena to witness, one of which is the meteor shower phenomenon. Researchers from the Space Research Center, BRIN Aeronautics and Space Research Organisation, in early 2024 have published a list of astronomical phenomena that will occur during the year, including the highest of the Taurid Meteor shower in November 2024.

The first phenomenon that occurred at the beginning of this month was the South Taurid Meteor Shower, and the next, the Taurid Meteor Shower.

This year, both peaks occurred in November, with the Southern Taurids peaking on 4-5 November 2024, as reported by BRIN. This small meteor shower lasts a long time and produces about 5-10 meteors per hour.

Following the peak of the South Taurid Meteor Shower, the North Taurid Meteor Shower is expected to peak in mid-November. So, when exactly will the North Taurid Meteor Shower peak in November 2024?

About Meteor Showers

According to the American Meteor Society, a meteor shower is a celestial phenomenon in which several meteors are seen coming from one place in the night sky called radiant. These meteors occur as a result of cosmic debris, called meteoroids, entering the Earth’s atmosphere at very high speeds and in parallel paths. According to the IAU Meteor Data Center, more than 900 meteor showers are predicted, of which about 100 are known with certainty.

The Northern Taurids are one of the easiest to see meteor showers and have a very significant activity. Most of these meteor showers are best seen after midnight. Unfortunately, if the peak of the meteor shower occurs when the moon is more than half clear (first quarter to last quarter), the moonlight can affect the visibility of the meteors and make them difficult to see.

Northern Taurid Meteor Shower

According to information from the American Meteor Society, the North Taurid Meteor Shower is active from October 13 to December 2, 2024. This shower is similar to the South Taurid, but lasts a little slower.

The details of this meteor shower are as follows:

– Radiant: 03:55 +22.8°

– ZHR: 5 (hourly meteor forecast)

– Speed: 18 miles/second (about 30 km/second, considered slow)

– Item induk: 2P/Encke

The peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower

The peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower is expected to occur on the night of November 11-12, 2024. On this night, the phase of the moon will reach 79% full, which may slightly hinder observations.

Quoting from EarthSky, the peak of the Northern Taurid meteor shower is expected to occur on November 12, 2024. The Northern Taurids are active from mid-October to early December, peaking in November.

Even though its movement tends to be slow, this meteor shower sometimes produces very bright meteors called fireballs, as happened during its appearance cycle in 2022. estimate that the intensity of meteors at the height of the North Taurid will reach 4.2 to 4.8 meteors. per hour.

According to a report from Space, November this year may be the best time to see the Taurid Meteor Shower when both meteor showers occur at the same time, and the moon is not too clear The best time to see this meteor shower is around midnight, when Taurus is high in the sky.

This article was written by Angely Rahma, Independent Campus Certification intern partner at detikcom.

(ihc/iwd)